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We finally had our first significant rainfall of the summer during the last weekend in August and that just doesn’t sound right. What a wild night it was; it started softly and then the wind kicked up along with the lightening. I hate lightening. A lot. Spiders and lightening are my biggest irrelevant fears; I know there are bigger things to be afraid of, but those two exasperate my husband to no end. If I’m in the bedroom on one end of the house and he’s in his office on the other end of the house, I will scream and expect him to come kill it-after which he wants to kill me for interrupting him. It’s a vicious circle and I usually end up making him bread as a peace offering. That bread, however, is a small price to pay.
Yesterday I was knee deep in a quadruple batch of peach-jalapeño jam when the phone rang; as a rule, I never answer the phone when making jam or salsa since it’s all about the timing but it was a number I didn’t recognize and something told me to answer it. That ‘something’ must have been stupidity because it was the health department on the phone and he wondered if he could stop by since he was in Cathay. Keep in mind I don’t need to be inspected yet as the commercial kitchen isn’t done nor have I applied for the license; they just wanted to know how things were going, if I had any questions, were there any flies in the jam, was I licking the spoon and so on. I warned him I was processing jam which required thought and constant running outside to the grill to change out the jars and he understood. Understandably, I went into panic mode since Cathay is three minutes away; luckily my kitchen is always clean in the morning- I make it a rule to clean it every night before I go to bed (which also exasperates my husband). Even last night when we got home after nine from Carrington (visiting with friends takes time), we unloaded the car from the farmers’ market, put everything away, and cleaned the kitchen. Yesterday, however, I had not swept the floor and so I quickly swept it before he got there and then heard him drive up. I did what anyone else would do; I literally swept it under the rug. I have never done that before and it was funny. Now talk to my sisters and mom and growing up they will say I acted like the kitchen was round and had no corners since that’s where all the dirt I swept up went. I have grown up and now enjoy sweeping the floor. Tolerate is a better word. Nonetheless, our visit was good and he answered a few questions for me and I answered some for him. I had to keep stopping the conversation so I could go out and switch the jars but he rolled with it.
I have to go out in the garden to pick beans, tomatoes, peppers and spinach and am not looking forward to it since it will be wet. As we all know , the garden waits for no one. Chokecherry syrup, hot corn salsa, and raspberry-jalapeño jam is also on the to-do list so I better get busy. This is what the table looks like before I make salsa or relish…take on all the vegetables in your life and tackle them one by one. Here’s hoping all the farmers who were out harvesting small grains last night in the dark got done before the storm…

Comments (3)

Jackie Simons said on 29-08-2013

Brenda you are a true example of a busy woman! You are multi-tasking and bring it off so good. the Lord must like your goods also. If Martha would have had your skills she could have sat at Jesus’ feet to listen, then prepare dinner for all! Bless you. I have been bragging you up to the KC’s. I know they will be pleased.

You are too kind, Jackie. Busy or psychotic-the jury is still out. Sleep is coming easier to me because I fall into bed exhausted these days! I’m excited to feed the men and hope I do the meal justice.